Ironfan to Ironman - My journey to Melbourne
So you have read Naomi's account of Ironman Melbourne, now for my take on things, stay with me its a bit of a long one to honour the distance.....
The Inspiration
Some years ago, at silly o'clock in the morning before the airwaves were taken over by endless channels dedicated to the latest footballers hairstyles, I saw a programme about the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. I was amazed and fascinated, 3.8km swim, 180km bike and then a full 42km marathon. How could anyone do all of this in one day?! Against a back drop of overpaid, diving footballers, here was a bunch of nutters who put everything on the line, often crawling or collapsing over the finish line. They couldn't hide behind team mates, couldn't disguise their mediocre performance behind a new advertising endorsement. To compete they had to endure real physical and mental pain for a full day! Not only were there people out there racing in these events to earn a living, but there on the same start line, were over 2000 amateur athletes of all ages and abilities all aiming to become an Ironman. Whilst this may seem like a crazy way to spend a Sunday for many, I was hooked, I watched in awe and tried to imagine the sense of achievement at crossing that finish line. I was an Ironfan.
Fast forward a couple of years and this initial inspiration had resulted in me taking up Triathlon, dabbling in a few shorter olympic distance events completing a couple of Marathons. I had cycled in a few sportive events, and whilst swimming was still something I dreaded, I could manage a couple of kms in the lake, albeit slowly. This impossible challenge of Ironman still sat there in my mind, and now I had reached the stage where each individual discipline looked achievable, if only I could combine them all!
Anyway Christmas break 2014 rolls around, it was a pretty hectic one, including our engagement, another Birthday and another New Year rolling around. I am not sure if it was the impending doom of becoming an Evans, or the realisation that she had agreed to marry an old man (I am always nearly dead compared to Naomi who is a massive three months younger than me), but, Naomi came up with the cunning plan to do an Ironman in 2015. She joked that she needed to make sure she fit in her Wedding dress! Whilst I had always said 'one day' it still seemed unachievable. Naomi as she does got all caught up in the hype and picked out a race, Ironman Melbourne, March 2015. Entries didn't open for a few months so I wasn't too worried yet, it was just a phase she was going through... she would grow out of it! She didn't! Entries opened a few short months later, money was paid and we were in.
EEEEEEKKKKKKKKKK!
The Training
Naomi found us a coach and group based in the Kalamunda hills called F4L. I was a bit sceptical about joining at first. I have a thing about groups. Probably not helped by Naomi's last attempt at making us join a cycling group in Preston where the average age was 103! But join we did and we didn't look back. The training came as a bit of a shock at first, I naively thought that my couple of commutes to work each week and bit of a run at the weekend would cover me... nope Paul the coach squeezed in training into every hour of the day, including 3.30am half marathons before work, with my commutes being counted only as 'bonus sessions'!
Despite the lack of sleep, losing track of what was happening on Neighbours and work colleagues commenting on the various items of lycra clothing I rocked up in, I was loving the training, it was great to make use of every hour in the day. Nothing was wasted.
Training for an Ironman can be lonely, it requires a huge commitment of time, and there is a danger of being isolated away from social activities, family and friends with just your bike, trainers and speedos for company. This made the group so important to training. Whilst late evenings, beers down the pub and many other social activities took a back seat, we made a bunch of great new friends, had a laugh whilst training and even managed a few cheeky cakes and even ciders after the rides. The group was great not only for the company and competition, but also for gaining advice from the more experienced guys, enthusiasm from the young guns, or just a funny comment or joke to make the session fun.
Selfie friends!!!
This is our Stack Promotional Shoot when we become as sought after as the Brownlee Brothers!
Winners = Grinners!
Training in isolation can fill you with self doubt, its hard to know how you are progressing, are you really getting better? Is your technique improving? Within the training group all had their strengths and weaknesses, some could swim, some could run and some could bike. A few lucky buggers could do all three! As time progressed, confidence grew, I realised I was holding my own against some of the better runners, I could cycle with the fast group and I could sort of swim without drowning. I had always in the past been happy with average. This time I wanted to beat average. My expectation shifted from getting around in 16:59:59 (within the 17 hour cut off) to competing with the faster half of my age group.
Over Spring and Summer, the weeks were pretty much a blur of swimming, biking, running and trips to Total Triathlon to buy any gadget (including 2 awesome new bikes) that might possibly help us to get around. We were inspired by teammates as they competed in Mandurah 70.3 (Half Ironman), and Ironman WA. We built confidence with a few achievements of our own, placing high in the local sprint races and Albany Half Triathlon (including a couple of cheeky podiums), but mostly we racked up the hours of training and miles in the legs, each one taking us a bit closer to Melbourne.
In total since starting the Ironman Training I have run over 550km, biked over 5000km (equivalent of a return trip to Melbourne from Perth), and spent over 100 hours staring at the line in the bottom of the pool. In the weeks leading up to the race many people asked me if I felt ready, all I could say was I bloody hope so, because if I wasn't then that was a lot of hours to dedicate to nothing!
So March came around, and after a last few weeks of build up and long sessions it was time for the taper, dreaded by many, as the body suddenly doesn't know what to do with the spare time, it gets restless, and in my case gets ill. Great, just what I need, a week of coughing and spluttering, getting grumpy and feeling sorry for myself. Good Build Up! Luckily my personal doctor kept my spirits up, told me to rest and I would get better. I will say this in writing only once, but, she was right!
The Race
We took off to Melbourne on the Thursday night getting the red-eye flight after work. After checking, double checking and triple checking the kit, we handed the bikes over to the baggage handlers and said our little prayer to the conveyor belt gods that they would appear on the other side. Naomi loves giving me little jobs to do, and just after the bikes passed through the trap door never to be seen again, she asked if I had remembered to update the bike insurance. S*^t, of course I hadn't I was a busy Ironman in training, nothing I could do now but lie. 'Yes dear of course I have!' What are the chances of bikes going missing? It'll be rite! (Ill remind you of this later!)
The flight to Melbourne is only 3 hours, but with 3 hours time difference you lose a whole nights sleep. We collected bikes and bags (told you we would be alright!) got on the bus and checked into the hotel. Luckily they were quiet so we could check in early and have a nap.
Bike in one piece, pimped and ready to roll!
The next couple of days were spent fueling up, and running between Melbourne, Frankston and St Kilda, registering, weighing in and checking in bikes and gear for the big event. Saturday we met up with the F4L crew for a practise swim and brekkie. I decided I couldn't be bothered carrying a wet wetsuit on the train so I braved the arctic Victorian weather and swam in my speedos, I regretted this, I spent the next hour shivering pretending to be OK. $100 later and with a new Ironman hoodie on my back I was back in the game!
Swim start looking perfect, no waves in sight!
Naomi prayed to the wave gods for the same calm waters on Sunday!
The swim finish!
Race morning came around and Ian very kindly gave us a lift to Frankston saving us a fortune in Taxis. Ian is a bit of a machine and has completed multiple Ironman races, finishing way up in his age group, so we took the opportunity to grab some last minute tips from him. Ian has also had his fair share of mechanical problems in previous races with saddles and brakes falling apart, so most of the tips involved Loctite! As we hadn't packed Loctite, we decided to check over everything else, we gave the tyres a check, made sure Garmins were loaded (Sorry Paul! It doesn't count if not on Strava!) and tried our best to relax. We wandered down to test the water, and Ian questioned what I was doing in wave 3 (predicted swim time of 1:08 - 1:20). I insisted I would be at the slower end of this wave Ian said I should be in Wave 2. I stuck where I was but we put a bottle of Shiraz on the line for whoever was right!
Bikes all racked in transition
Naomi wishing she had packed Loctite
The swim was awesome, we watched the pros set off, and then the trickle of age groupers as they all started their Ironman journey, and then it was our turn. The water was lovely, nice and cool, clear and calm. I felt great, and even managed to smile and take in the surroundings, as the sun rose over the bay and stingrays swam underneath. I couldn't understand what I had been worried about. I got out of the swim ran up the beach and had a quick check of the watch (1:07). I couldn't believe it Ian was right... bugger I owe him a bottle of Shiraz... concentrate you have a bike to do. I ran up the beach and was met with a screaming supporter. Kendall had travelled over from Perth to cheer on and spent the whole day with the same energy and enthusiasm. Cheers Kendall you were awesome. Sorry for the look I gave you as you shouted at me! I didn't really want to murder you as it seemed to look like!(See below)!
How dare you cheer me on!
Transition went pretty smooth, I took my time, put on tonnes of suncream and covered my shoulders after a pretty horrendous sunburn incident at Albany.
T1 Exit
The bike felt great. I still had new bike syndrome after convincing Naomi to let me get a new machine. This coupled with a bit of pimp my ride treatment of new race wheels, accessories and the relief to be on dry land and I was flying, I flew out of transition, scoffing my clif bar and straight into a tight left bend, oh crap clif bar in hand, can't reach brake, phew I made it just without stacking on the kerb. I decided to concentrate on eating and staying upright for a few minutes and let the adrenaline settle.
The bike was a 2 lap 90km loop heading out and back along the tollway. Not the most scenic, but a great rolling surface and fast. The first lap flew by and before I knew it I was back at transition, ready to start my second lap after just 2:30.
Turnaround in Franskston
The second lap started OK, but I soon realised the wind had picked up. The out leg was gradual uphill for nearly all the 45km and now we were greeted with a headwind to top it off. This section to the final turn around took it out of me, I was around 15mins slower than my first leg, but I knew once I made it around the turn-around and back through the tunnel I would have gravity and wind pushing me back to Frankstone. I hit the turn around with around 4 hours passed, and climbed my way back out of the tunnel. The legs were hurting at this point, but the change in gradient helped and gave the legs and body a bit of a rest from being in TT position.
The tunnel. My favourite bit was soooooooo quick!
Time for the run. Since starting racing properly this year, I have come to realise that the run is where I make up most of my time, be it in a 5km sprint race or marathon. To do this though you need to be able to run off the bike. It is no good smashing the fastest bike time and then having to walk a marathon. My goal for all my races this year was to run to a similar ability to what I could achieve in a stand alone run prior to my training. I had achieved this in the sprints, beating my previous stand alone 5km times, I had come within a couple of minutes of my best half marathon time in the Albany Half and now I wanted to finish strong. My marathon PB was 3:27, probably a bit of a tough ask, but under 4 hours and I would be close to 10:30, a time I thought impossible at 7am.
To get in under 10:30 I would need to hold 5:30/km. It seemed achievable, but I didn't know how the legs would hold up. The first few kms were great, I hit the 5km mark in around 25 minutes, the legs were feeling good, but I couldn't get cool. I am used to training in heat way worse than Melbourne, but for some reason I was overheating. I decided to take it steady at the 6km aid station, I stopped at each stand, threw ice down my top, poured water over my head, took on water and electrolyte and had a sip of cola to top up the sugar. I was back in the game. I decided I would only run well if I kept cool, so that was my new plan, run strong between aid stations, but then take the time to cool and hydrate. This worked really well, aid stations were only 2km apart so it broke the run down. My pace kept pretty consistent at just over 5min km until well over halfway. A few sharp hills broke the rhythm around 25km in, and my pace slowed a little after that, but I kept ticking off the kms and the Melbourne Skyline started to get closer and closer.
With around 6km to go we saw Kendall and her friend who had camped out at the side of the path all day. This came as a really welcome boost, a huge cheer and high 5 and I knew I was nearly home.
Cheers Mint Cake!
The boost even made my leg leave the ground! Ironman shuffle I think not!
Yum yum yum clif bloks!
The next few km seemed to pass pretty quickly, the energy and the noise picked up as you got closer into St Kilda, you could hear in the distance Mr Ironman Voice greeting every finisher across the line. As I turned into St Kilda, I passed through 'Giant Corner' a meeting point for all of the giant racing team, the energy there was electric, they were well on their way to a hangover, but they were all shaking kettlebells, each one cheering every athlete by name, then I reached the carpet, turned the corner and saw the finish chute. I was greeted by the same words I heard on the TV programme all those years ago. Chris Evans you are an Ironman! I had aimed to finish under 12 hours, and privately thought if I had a great day I might come close to 11 hours. I ended up with a finish time of 10:24, and completed the run in 3:47, less than 20mins off my standalone best marathon time. I was over the moon.
The magic carpet!
I got carted through to recovery by one of the thousands of amazing volunteers who checked to make sure I could stand by myself and then had some pizza and pasta thrown down my neck. A quick massage later and I felt I could do it all over again!
I headed back to the finish line to cheer on the rest of the finishers, I bumped into Ian, Liam and Matt who all had great races, and got to the finish chute just in time to see Martin come across the line. I was eagerly checking the tracker on my phone but it had crashed. Time for transcontinental communications to the greenies on the other side of the world to tell me that Naomi was only 1 km away! I watched eagerly camera in hand and saw Naomi cross the line looking incredibly strong to receive the same greeting.
She was an Ironman too, I was one proud stacker!
In one of the promotional videos for the race I heard a quote that struck a chord
'To Accomplish Something Extraordinary One Must Have an Extraordinary Dream'
This summed up my Ironman journey, you will never achieve your goals if you don't first set them and then work towards them.
In addition to a dream you do also need a few other things, I have put together a list for any Iron Virgins.
You also need -
- An expensive bike (and good persuasive skills to convince Partner that you will die without expensive bike)
- In some cases (Martin) a new car for Partner to soften the blow of buying a bike with price tag more that a third world country's annual budget.
- Chuffing expensive but comfortable saddle
- Multiple pairs of goggles (They are so hard to find ones that don't leak)
- A range of lycra for all occasions
- Running shoes for 5k runs, 10k runs, 20k runs, etc etc, and running shoes to wear on your way to training so you don't wear out the good ones
- Glide/Vaseline and lots of it
- A degree in aerodynamics
- A good bike shop. (Cheers Total Triathlon the gear didn't let us down)
- An ability to function at 3am
- A top coach who challenges and prepares you and keeps the training fun (cheers Paul)
- An ability to Stick to the Plan (#STTP)
- A group of amazing friends who all make the journey worthwhile (Cheers F4L Buddies) and
- Most importantly a supportive partner, sets you stupid goals and who pushes you to be your best. (Sorry Naomi I can be an arse when sleep deprived and hungry)
Hope you enjoyed my recap and sorry for the length. A few people have asked what the next Extraordinary Dream is, well who knows what seems unachievable today might just be next years challenge.
Fancy a holiday Naomi???
Oh and I promised I would get back to it. remember I lied to Naomi about bike insurance, well only 2 out of 4 bags made it back to Perth with us! Luckily for me it was the bikes! The other 2 bags Qantas very kindly took on a free trip to Brisbane without us even having to ask! Luckily we got them back the next day as they had inside a couple of very prized possessions.
Until next time, dream big!
Mr Ironstack!
